


the world, and you

by iseekdaylight



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 12:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18756517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iseekdaylight/pseuds/iseekdaylight
Summary: “Can I call you?”Ten is by himself at the dance studio when he receives the message, and he had never pressed the Call button so fast in his life.In which Johnny and Ten have a phone conversation after NCT 127’s Chicago concert.





	the world, and you

**Author's Note:**

> me: this is just gonna be a drabble, no biggie.
> 
> also me, four hours later: i’ve created a monster. 
> 
> this is a product of my feelings after staying tuned to nct 127’s concert in chicago and seeing wayv airport pics, which turned to me reminiscing smrookies days and missing johnten more than usual. 
> 
> please don’t kill me for this.

_“Can I call you?”_

Ten is by himself at the dance studio when he receives the message, and he had never pressed the Call button so fast in his life. At the back of his mind, he’s sure that Kun is going to look for him and tell him to eat something before they stand by for the release of their teaser, but screw him. ( _No offense, Kun._ ) This call is important.

“Hey.”

All the tension from Ten’s body—from hours of dancing and the stiffness from the flight to Nanjing—disappears when he hears Johnny’s voice. “Hey,” he greets back, trying not to let emotion overwhelm him. No matter where they are, whether they’re cuddled on Johnny’s dorm bed or at two opposing sides of the world, hearing Johnny’s voice feels like coming home. “What time is it there?”

“Eight in the morning?” Johnny yawns. “Barely slept in the plane.”

“I bet.” Ten gets up from the floor and heads to the windows, parting the blinds so he could get a glimpse of the city before him. He wonders what Johnny’s view is like from their hotel in San Jose. “It’s a little cloudy outside. It might rain soon.”

“Take care of yourself. Don’t get sick.”

Ten rolls his eyes, though the way his lips tug up betray his true emotion. “I can’t afford to,” he replies. Promotions are starting, and he hasn’t felt this excited in a while, even if his Mandarin still needs polishing and he’s not sure how their music will be accepted. “Besides, Kun’s been reminding me to eat, sleep and not to overwork.”

“Gotta give Kun a gift basket when we’re both back in Seoul, then.” Johnny chuckles.

“What about me, hyung?” Ten does that whine that he knows makes Johnny soft. He pouts, too. Even though Johnny doesn’t see it, he’s pretty sure he’s imagining it right now.

“Why wait for a souvenir when you got a six-foot-tall me to look forward to?”

Ten laughs so loudly that he’s sure that security standing guard outside would come rushing in anytime to check up on him. “Oh my god, you’re disgusting!”

“You love it, anyway.”

“You wish.” He’s not going to admit—not right now, at least—that it’s more of the person than the disgustingly cheesy comment. “Anyway, how was Chicago?”

The topic is already at the tip of Johnny’s tongue the moment he asked if he could call. Ten had to slink down and lean against the pillar as he listens to Johnny talk about the crowd at O’Hare, going home and plopping down his childhood bed for the first time in four years, the loud cheers at Rosemont Theater and the proud expressions of his parents.

Ten’s heart throbs painfully as he listens. He remembers conversations shared at the dorms, by the fire exit, shared hotel rooms, and breaks in between training about home. How Johnny practically radiates when he shares stories about Chicago and how much he wants to take everyone, the kids included, to his home and let them taste his mother’s cooking. (“Mom makes the best kimchi jjigae!”)

He remembers whispered promises when they were tangled in the sheets. “One day, I’ll take you home,” Johnny says it as he strokes Ten’s face.

It’s a promise that wouldn’t be fulfilled, not until management continues to dictate the direction of their careers. Chicago might have to wait until next year, or maybe in the next three years.

Or maybe not at all, Ten would sometimes think when he’s alone, the silence loud and his thoughts on overdrive. Because this industry is fickle, and sometimes he has to prepare himself for the day that he and Johnny might just … drift away, six years of friendship down the drain.

“Ten?”

Ten returns to reality, and he couldn’t stop the sniffing that follows. “I’m fine,” he says in a choked voice. Johnny knows him like an open book, but it never hurts to try sound strong. “I’m just happy you had the best time back home. You deserve the love there, Johnny.”

He hears Johnny sigh. “I wish you were here.”

“I know, but I’ll get that chance.” Ten doesn’t know when, but it never hurts to hope.

“Next time.”

“Next time.”

Whenever that is, they both don’t know.

Ten’s shoulders tense as the door creaks open, though he sighs in relief when Kun peeks from the door. “I’m dragging you back to the apartment for dinner,” he says in Mandarin.

“Give me a minute,” he replies, though stilted, before switching to English. “Kun’s here to feed me.”

“Tell him I said hi!”

“Is that Johnny?” Kun beams. “Tell him congratulations on the Chicago concert!” He then waves before closing the door.

Ten smiles before standing up and turning his back to the door so that he’s facing the view of Nanjing from the dance studio once more. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah.” Johnny chuckles. “I wish I could talk to you longer.”

“We could.”

“Orrrr I could hang up so I could be saved from Kun’s lecture about keeping you from dinner.”

“Spoilsport.”

“You love me for it.”

“I do.” The rare times Ten isn’t snarky in conversation. He doesn’t want this to end because he doesn’t know the next time they could call each other like this. Maybe weeks. Maybe months.

It’s been less than a minute since they’ve (reluctantly) said their goodbyes and hung up when Ten receives a message from Johnny. He practically melts as he scans the words over and over again.

He’s holding on to next times. And as much as Ten worries about how nothing is promised, he knows Johnny well enough to make this work.

_The world turns and I love you, two things that will always be._

Ten is going to try his hardest, too.

**Author's Note:**

> you can yell at me on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/loveseosweet) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/loveseosweet). thank you for reading!


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